Dear colleagues,  

I write to you today with mixed emotions to announce that Laura Lee McIntyre, Dean of the College of Education and the Castle-McIntosh-Knight Professor, will be leaving the University of Oregon to become Provost at Michigan State University.

Laura Lee has been a wonderful colleague, leading our nationally renowned College of Education with dedication and expertise. I am also grateful for her support and partnership on our Provost Council team since I became Provost last year.  

Laura Lee is a respected scholar and a longtime faculty member. Her research has significantly impacted the fields of prevention and early intervention, leading to improved child developmental and behavioral health outcomes among underserved children and families. She has also held a number of leadership roles since she first joined the University of Oregon in 2009, including serving as the faculty trustee on the UO Board of Trustees from 2017 to 2021 and directing the Prevention Science Institute, one of our largest research institutes on campus. 
 
During her time as dean, Laura Lee helped advance the College of Education in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, was instrumental in the founding of The Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health, developed our fruitful partnership with the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA), expanded the school psychology program to the new UO Portland campus, grew the tenure track faculty in the college, chaired the Youth Behavioral and Mental Health Workgroup for our Oregon Rising plan, and has been a steadfast supporter of the Sapsik’ʷałá Teacher Education Program. 
 
While it is always hard to see a valued colleague move on, I appreciate all that Laura Lee has accomplished during her time here and am grateful that she will bring her values-based leadership to an institution with which I have long had a close personal connection. 

Laura Lee will be with us through commencement, until the end of the academic year. We plan to launch a national search for a new dean in the fall.  

In the next few weeks, my team and I plan to spend time with the College of Education community — faculty, staff, as well as the college’s leadership team — to learn more about the type of leader they would like to see appointed as interim dean. 

While I look forward to continuing to work with Provost McIntyre on the Big Ten Academic Alliance Board of Directors, we will surely miss her here. Please join me in wishing Laura Lee the best in her new role on the banks of Red Cedar. 

Sincerely, 

Christopher P. Long
Provost and Senior Vice President